Xbox, Activision Used xCloud Streaming to Develop Games During the Pandemic

Xbox and Activision are using Microsoft's xCloud streaming service to develop games during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report from Bloomberg. It's no secret that developing games is difficult. It's also not a secret that developing games during a global pandemic is even more difficult, as likely evidenced by the game delays we've seen this year. Microsoft reportedly built an app for creating and testing games over the internet using xCloud, according to Bloomberg, and Xbox and Microsoft have been using it to develop games. It even helped Microsoft ship its new batch of consoles. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/14/50-games-coming-to-project-xcloud-x019"] "It enabled us to ship our console on time," xCloud principal software engineering manager, Daniel Kennett, told Bloomberg. Microsoft repurposed xCloud to allow developers to access their high-end computers in their office from the confines of their home. The repurposed xCloud tool can display high resolutions and reproduce audio in surround sound, according to Bloomberg, and nearly 60 studios are using it to work on new games and test how they work. Xbox is, of course, using xCloud to do this, but Activision Blizzard Inc. is as well, the report notes. It's also being used to fix hardware bugs by Xbox. Microsoft's game streaming service allows employees to connect to each other's computers where they can make changes to art or other things remotely. Those changes can then be shared on Microsoft Teams, which helped restore a sense of normalcy, Kennett said. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=forza-motorsport-xbox-series-x-screenshots&captions=true"] "Being stuck at home and not being able to walk around the floor and see where stuff's at is brutal," he said. The Bloomberg report also includes some information about the new Forza game, or rather, how early prototypes of the new Forza game are being run on old Xbox One systems through xCloud and another tool developed by Microsoft. The report doesn't include anything particularly new about the next Forza game — we already know it's coming — but it's a nice confirmation that development on the game is still happening despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Read about what Xbox boss Phil Spencer believes the impact of COVID-19 on games will be and then read about how COVID-19 virtualized gaming events and local communities. Check out how a recent COVID-19 vaccine announcement caused game companies' stock to drop after that. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

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